Journey at Hand
by Mediciner
Summary: Kari is expected to deliver a package for the professor, not exactly what she was planning. This marks the beginning of her journey as she strives to do her best. Can she keep the new "Team Rocket" out as she does, though? What do they want with her?
1. Intro

Hello people of the Pokemon section! This is my first try on a Poke fic, so I guess you could call me a newb at this. I still hope you like it, though!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of importance in this story besides my OCs.

**Journey at Hand**

**Chapter I Intro **

She turned in bed. It was almost time. She could hardly wait at all. She watched and whispered to herself as the clock counted down.

"Five...four...three...two...one..."

The clock rang loudly. 8:00. The girl squealed loudly; she had been waiting for this day to come. In excitement, she threw the covers on her bed off, showing a pinkish pajama. She leaped for joy.

"Kari!" yelled someone downstairs. "Hurry up, sweetie! You're going to be late for the professor!"

"Coming!" the girl named Kari shouted back.

She quickly threw together some clothes: A pair of knee length jeans, sneakers, and a black Nintendo logo t-shirt plastered on the front. She fixed long auburn hair as fast as possible into a long ponytail. Kari grabbed her bag near the door and ran down the stairs, nearly running into her mother on the way. She murmured a quick apology, grabbed some toast from the table and shoved it into her mouth, and sprinted out the door.

"You've forgotten your spare clothes!" her mother yelled after her daughter but to no avail; Kari was already half way to the professor's house. Her mother heaved a sigh.

#

Kari was nearly out of breath when she reached the professor's laboratory. Although it was only a block away form her home, she had taken almost all of her energy just get out of the house prepared. She knocked on the door a few times.

"Coming, coming!" said a voice from within. She heard a few footsteps and a small crash. The voice cursed loudly before opening the door.

"Good morning, Professor Pine!" Kari said brightly.

"Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too, Kari isn't it?" the professor said with a grunt. He was cradling a bruised hand. "Come in."

_Wonder what he was doing, _Kari thought as she entered the lab. Sunlight entered from above as the professor led her to the back of the lab. As she walked, Kari noticed a miniature jungle through a window. She knew the professor was into studying pokemon in their natural habitat, but she never knew that he would go and **build **one himself.

_But then again, what do I know?_

"Ah, here we are!"

Professor Birch handed her a small package. Kari found it was light weight and could easily fit it into her backpack.

"I need you to deliver this package to Jange Island," the professor told her.

"Where's that?" she asked as she put the parcel in her pack.

"South of Dewford. You must get there ASAP. My colleague there will know what to do with it when you get there."

Kari was crestfallen. She was expecting to get a pokemon of her own and go on a journey. Instead, she was assigned to be a delivery girl. "Why do I have to do this?" she pouted.

The professor put a hand to his face. "I guess it really is true when they say "Youth is wasted on the young". Can you do me just one little favor, Kari, and bring the package over? I'll give you a pokemon for the long journey ahead if you do."

At his words, Kari jumped up, renewed with glee, and ran over to a table containing two opened pokeballs in a large tube. Inside were two sleeping pokemon. One looked like a small green lizard with three tails; the other was a small orange chicken. She looked at each inventively, trying to figure out which she wanted.

"Have you decided yet?" Birch asked, walking up to the tube. "The lizard is Treecko, a grass type pokemon. The other one is Torchic, a fire type."

"Umm..."

After a few minutes of waiting, Kari picked out Treeko. The professor opened the tube and picked up the pokemon. Treeko opened its eyes sleepily, murmuring its name in surprise of the sudden action. Kari found it absolutely cute.

"He's perfect!" she squealed with excitement. "Thank you sooo much, Professor!"

"Just get it delivered quickly," he answered her. "And be careful out there!"

Kari flashed him a smile, pocketing her new pokeball. "Don't worry! What could possibly go wrong?"

Well I hope you liked it! Suggestions to make it better are welcome. R&R, guys and gals! Longer chapter next time!

_**Med**_


	2. Beginnings

Thank you for the reviews, spikestrife, Kinoarashi, and MotDT (mind if I call you that? saves a lot of time)! And MotDT, I have all info on Rika, don't worry! Kin (hope you don't mind either), I don't mind if you won't review as much for this one. I won't hold it against you. .

Also, I haven't played Sapphire in a looonnnggg while, therefore I do not remember much. Only thing I know for sure are the pokemon. I'm replaying Ruby, though. .

Also, I may change a couple of things from the game. This may not happen, but I just wanted to let the readers know ahead of time if I do.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of importance besides my OCs.

**Journey at Hand**

**Chapter II Beginnings**

With a new pokemon pocketed, Kari eagerly left the professor's lab. She allowed the Treeko out of his ball, letting it walk beside her. It stared outside and said its name aloud in awe, as though it had never been out of the lab.

"Now, what am I going to name you?" Kari asked. To give her a hint, the Treeko began towards the nearest tree. As soon as he reached a branch, he began playfully growling at his master, trying to hint to her that it wanted a cool name.

"Gee, aren't you a brave one?" she said chuckling at his behavior. Treeko smiled and leapt onto her head and lay down. Kari put a hand on her chin and thought for ideas. The day before, she had been playing Final Fantasy, fighting monster through monster to level her party and to get treasure. She had also fought a boss that day, some kind of Dragon Overlord or something.

_That's it!_

Poking an almost sleeping Treeko, Kari said, "From now on, your name is Dragoon, 'k?" The Treeko stared her down for waking it up but nodded its head, then went back to its nap.

"Funny little thing aren't you?" she joked as she began walking slowly on the road. Treeko either ignored the comment or was already fast asleep, for he did not make any movement.

Kari didn't walk far, though, before she heard her mother's voice off to her left.

"Wait up, Kari!" her mother shouted, running as fast as she could towards her. Kari stopped and turned without disturbing her pokemon.

Her mother was panting when they met. Her hands were on her knees and could barely talk to her daughter. "I...I wanted-t-to give you some-t-thing before you l-left."

Kari helped her mother up with a groan. Dragoon leapt off her head and began yawning and stretching, to her mother's delight.

"How cuuuuuuuute!" she said gleefully, completely forgetting that she was tired. She picked him up and began petting him like some kind of dog, all the while saying compliments about his "cuteness".

After a few seconds of this, Kari cleared her throat loudly, causing her mother to look up at her with embarrassment. "So, mom, what did you want to give me?"

"Right." Her mother set Dragoon down, who eagerly ran back to his original resting place upon Kari's head. Her mother turned around and began fumbling with something. Kari crossed her arms and waited patiently as her mother mumbled.

"Wait-wait...hmmm. Where'd I put it? ......Darn me and my memo-Ah here we go!"

Her mother pulled out a palm-sized device, tan-ish in color with a blue sphere in the middle. Red lines traced at the sides. Kari's eyes twinkled with glee at this surprise.

"Happy 14th birthday, honey!" her mother said proudly. She was almost knocked down afterwards by Kari's hug, though unfortunately Dragoon was. "It's a Poke-Navi of your very own! It has an internal clock, a map of the Hoenn region, can double as a phone, and even has a dairy!"

Nothing could express how happy Kari was as she hugged her mom tightly.

**Later**

Kari was now walking in the mini forest that linked Littleroot with another town **(A/N: I forgot, damn it!).** She had not met anything on her way, to her disappointment. Dragoon seemed perfectly fine with this as he snoozed on her head. Kari opened her new present and checked the time.

"8:45," she muttered to herself as she pocketed it.

Wind began blowing behind her gently as she continued. Dragoon suddenly picked himself up on all fours and began growling at a bush behind her. Kari quickly turned around but saw nothing, though she too had heard the rustling. She stared at the bush for a few seconds but no movement.

"Probably just the wind." She continued down the path, though her pokemon continued to watch her back for any more disturbing.

A few more yards down the road, more rustling was heard, footsteps and clinking of metal now among them. Kari was now beginning to be afraid. Dragoon began growling more ferociously than ever, leaping onto the ground in a battle position.

"Show yourself!" cried Kari.

Out from the bush came a figure with blue spiky hair. He was wearing a black shirt over an orange vest. He wore khakis down to his ankles, nearly covering blue and gray sneakers. His goggles on his head and square-framed glasses shone in the sunlight. Accompanying him was a floating metal ball with magnets on both sides and a small dot for an eye on the middle called a Magnemite.

Kari relaxed as she saw her childhood friend. "Geez, don't scare me like that, Kail!"

Kail put a hand behind his head. "Sorry! I didn't think you'd mind me giving you a surprise, Kari." He then took notice of her pokemon on the ground, still in a battle ready state. "Who's this little guy?"

He put an outstretched hand towards him. Dragoon sniffed it with suspicion for a second.

"Um, Kail, I don't think that's such a good idea," said Kari uncertainly. "I haven't been able to train it yet so-"

Her sentence was interrupted by his shout of pain as Dragoon bit his hand. Kail quickly flicked him off, sending him on his back. He checked the cut; it wasn't bad but was drawing blood. Dragoon, apparently satisfied with his actions, leapt back on top of Kari's head and gazed at Kail with a grin.

Kari immediately came to him and began picking for a bandage in her pack, all the while apologizing for her pokemon's behavior. "I don't know what's with him right now," she told him. "I've only got him today and he's already causing trouble!"

"Ouch-watch it- It's okay, really." His Magnemite continued to hover around them, being wary of Dragoon.

**.....Um later again**

Finished with the bandage and now continuing on the path, Kari then told him of how the professor gave her the assignment of delivery.

"I wanted to get the water type –um..."

"Mudkip?" Kail asked.

"Yeah, that's right! But there was only Dragoon and this chicken thing in there..." As if to prove that he was the right choice, Dragoon struck a pose of triumph.

"Hmmm..." Kail stroked his chin. He always did when he thought something was off or wrong. "The professors who are supposed to give trainers their first pokemon should have the three beginning types or at least some type of replacement...Odd."

"Ah who cares?" Kari said, putting her hands behind her head. "So what brings you out here anyway?"

"Yeah about that." Kail stopped walking. Kari turned around. "I thought maybe you could use some practice- to become a trainer you know? I was going to let you borrow one of mine, but I guess you're set with –Dragoon, wasn't it?"

"Neat!" Kari smiled. "Let's start!"

Sorry for the long update, but please get used to it. I'll try harder next time!

**Next time: Kari begins her lessons as a pokemon trainer as Kail spurs her onward on her quest. Will all my chapters be filled with beginner's stuff? And who's taking place of Team Rocket since the disbanding? Find out in the future as I try to keep my facts straight between Blue version and Sapphire version stories and try to keep it as Mary Sue-less as possible.**

Salamence: Like that's possible for you...

Med: . Who asked you?

Raichu: Review please!

_**Med**_


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